11 stunning Starbucks stores around the world

Kyoto Ninei-zaka Yasaka Chayaten, the world’s first traditional Japanese-style Starbucks, opens for business on June 30. It’s located within a two-story, 100-year old traditional Japanese townhouse with noren curtains at the entrance. As a tribute to Japanese architecture and its surrounding community, Starbucks has preserved the building’s original design to create an environment that blends traditional Kyoto culture with the Starbucks Experience.
Making use of the building’s unique architecture, the nearly 3,000 square-foot store is designed so customers feel as if they are walking through a traditional Kyoto townhouse. There are gardens in the front, back, and center outfitted with stone water basins, thoughtfully positioned stones, moss and trees, emulating the beauty of a traditional Japanese garden.
The second floor features three tatami rooms, two of which are original to the building. Here customers can take off their shoes, relax, and enjoy their favorite coffee while sitting on cushions covered with silk fabric produced in the Tango region of Kyoto. Each room has an alcove where hanging scrolls are mounted in Nishijin-ori kimono fabric also produced in Kyoto.

In contrast to the striking white design of the World Trade Center Oculus interior, this Starbucks café optimizes a rich palette of bold and vivid colors. The sleek and simple layout ensures speed of service while the rich, bronzy details of the design evoke a warm welcome. The Oculus store provides coffee in a “New York minute,” but in ultra-luxe style.

Coffee beans skipping across concrete walls welcome customers into the Starbucks El Dorado store in San Luis. The glazed storefront allows natural light to flood into the hard building shell, while another layer of light washes the space, providing warmth and highlighting the materials used throughout.

Perfectly located near the beautiful Opéra Garnier in the center of Paris, the Boulevard des Capucines Starbucks is housed in a structure that dates back to the 17th century. First opened in 2006, the designers of this recently refurbished Starbucks ensured that the rich history of the building was retained. This includes fully restoring the ornate and intricate 19th-century ceiling murals and motifs to their original state and revealing their true colors and historical elegance.

Located in the heart of Miami Beach, the Starbucks at 2912 Collins blends coffee heritage with the local neighborhood. The store, within walking distance from the ocean, showcases the colors and textures of surrounding beaches. This location features a mural of the Starbucks Siren as well as a art installation made from moss, which celebrates the origins of coffee.

Nestled in London’s West End, the design of the Great Portland Street Starbucks takes its cues from the building’s original architecture. It includes dark panels to complement the cornicing of the building, the restoration of original hardwood floors and a range of seating for the local community.

Medellín sits in a valley of the Andes Mountains, where the altitude and volcanic soil create a prime coffee-growing region. In homage to the topography, Starbucks Milla de Oro location features stacks of burlap coffee sacks above the bar and by the store’s entrance, lush local artwork and a hand-stitched cement column wrapped in leather. There’s also a vertical “green wall” of local vegetation inside of the store. Both sides of the storefront have sliding glass doors that, when opened, make the bar feel like a part of the plaza, blurring the line between inside and out.

The Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya Starbucks takes advantage of the building’s expansive floor-to-ceiling height, incorporating a well-lit tall wood soffit that provides a glowing, central focus in the café. Opposite a prominent glass wall is an art installation that is composed of locally sourced bamboo baskets painted with latte art.

Located in the center of Barcelona, the Carrer de Pelai Starbucks is steps away from Plaza Catalunya and showcases a mix of design elements, some from 19th-century architecture. The store provides a modern coffee experience, balancing industrial and natural materials highlighted by a dramatic light installation. The story of coffee is artfully printed on industrial concrete panels that illustrate every step of the process from bean to cup.

The inspiration for the Cité des Jeunes or “Town of the Young” Starbucks comes almost entirely from the region’s historical love of anything associated with water. Located on the south shore of Two Mountains lake in Vaudreuil, the store features a nautical theme and highlights the Starbucks siren and history of coffee.

Located within the City of Hope Hospital’s Cancer Care environment, this Starbucks welcomes patients and employees alike. An open, sunlit space with generous seating options provides an oasis for customers in the middle of a larger medical campus.
(Courtesy: Starbucks Newsroom)